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THE  PILATE STONE

Hello to all my fine friends out there!

I sure hope all of you who celebrate Thanksgiving here in America will get some well needed rest after the big occasion, maybe even catching a movie or two. For the rest

of the world I’m sure you know what it’s like to have a big celebration and how much work goes into preparing it and cleaning up afterward! Thanksgiving is the day we North Americans take time to gather with friends and family to feast and give thanks for the freedom of our country. And there is much to be thankful for.

I am most grateful for the freedom we have to study, speak and worship our Lord Jesus without fear. But there are those in this great nation who disbelieve that Jesus never existed. They deny his existence solely on the misunderstanding that only the Bible recorded his death and resurrection thus it is all made up. Let’s take a closer look…

Bust of Pontius Pilate

In 1961 an important discovery was made at the archaeological site of Caesarea Maritime. The artifact is a fragment of a dedicatory inscription carved in a block of stone for a building that was constructed in honor of the emperor Tiberius dating to 26-36 AD. It appears that the stone was then reused in the 4th century as a building block for a set of stairs belonging to a structure erected behind the stage house of the Herodian theatre in Caesarea. It was unearthed there still attached to the ancient staircase in the modern city of Caesarea-on-the-Sea, who’s ancient

Ancient Theatre at Caesarea

name was Caesarea Maritima. So what is so important about this block of inscribed stone? Check this out:

The writing is ancient Roman and it mentions the name  “Pontius Pilatus”. It is contemporary to the Pilate mentioned in the Bible’s lifetime and concurs with what is known of his reported career. This inscription is the earliest surviving record, (outside of the Bible), so far discovered of historical

evidence of the existence of this man. It means that Pontius Pilate traveled to Jerusalem at least every once in a while; enough to have a building dedicated to him. So what does it say?

DIS AUGUSTIS TIBERIEUM

…PONTUYS OUKATYS

…PRAEFECTUS IUDAEAE

…FECIT DE DICAVIT 

This is a very common structure of sentencing for that period of time in the upper echelon of government of which Pilate was. The letters that are italicized have been weathered away on the stone. In english it means;

To the divine Augusti [this] Tiberieum 

…Pontius Pilate

…prefect of Judea

…has dedicated [this] 

The words in brackets are not readable from the stone inscription but inferred from other ancient writings of this exact type.  

What is particularly significant in this archaeological find is that it is of authentic 1st-century Roman writing. And just who was Pontius Pilate? The Roman government official who ordered Jesus crucified. There are roman records of Jesus being crucified and now there is this inscription that states Pontius Pilate lived during that time. Amazing. If you want to see this stone you will have to travel quite a ways unless you live in Israel. Currently the Pilate stone is located at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. 

Fascinating don’t you think? That of all carved stones from that era, it happens to be one that mentions Pontius Pilate. Almost like Someone planned it that way! It’s food for thought anyway.

Happy Thanksgiving and have a beautiful and blessed week to you all the rest of the world!

Willow Dressel 

References:

Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judah— Latin dedicatory inscription. The Israel Museum. Retrieved 11 April 2017.

Archaeology and the Galilean Jesus: a re-examination of the evidence by Jonathan L. Reed 2002 ISBN 1563383942 page 18.

Tacitus, Annals, 15.44